The French Riviera Could Be the Next White Lotus Location—and Here’s Why It’s Perfect, According to a Local (and a Fan)

If sources close to the hit HBO show are to be believed, The White Lotus is planning its next seven-night all-inclusive vacation in … France. The news has turned the spotlight firmly on the three Four Seasons properties in the country:  Hotel George V in Paris, Four Seasons Hotel Megève in the French Alps, and Four Seasons Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera.

Megève has emerged as an early fan favorite, with many intrigued by the fresh narrative potential an alpine setting could offer. Plenty have already commented that the French Riviera might feel too similar to season 2, which saw relationships unravel under the Sicilian sun, while a full season in Paris could feel a touch too urban.

​HBO hasn’t made an official comment, but it’s known that show writer and director Mike White isn’t a fan of cold climates, which casts some doubt on Megève. Still, it is worth remembering that the Alps are warm in summer, when the show is typically filmed.

​As for White himself, the only hint he has given about season 4 is that he wants “to get a little bit out of the crashing waves on rocks vernacular …”

​Given that, the odds might not favor Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, perched above waves crashing into the jagged coastline of the billionaire-friendly Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. That said, the property remains one of the most exclusive in the country—checks all the classic White Lotus boxes.

​The swimming pool is sublime, set against the blues of the Mediterranean Sea. The on-site restaurants include the Michelin-starred Le Cap (and we all know how much the White Lotus guests love to dine at their hotel hotel), and a scattering of ultra-private villas across the grounds are practically made for bad—or at least naughty—things to happen.

But, if there’s one destination made for The White Lotus, surely it’s the original “sunny place for shady people”? British writer W. Somerset Maugham’s famous description of the French Riviera could sum up the show’s entire premise in those six words.

​As a French Riviera resident, who calls the village of Villefranche-sur-Mer, just across the bay from the Grand Hôtel du Cap Ferrat, home, I’d argue it would be a crime—a creative homicide, if you will—if at least one season weren’t filmed here.

This stretch of coast continues to serve as the original playground for the rich and famous, even as other destinations compete for the same clientele.

​Whatever theme White chooses to explore this season—be it wealth and class in Hawaii (season 1), sex and betrayal in Italy (season 2), or death and spirituality in Thailand (season 3)—the French Riviera already offers a hedonistic backdrop to build upon: champagne-soaked parties at La Guerite, the A-List beach club of choice only accessible by boat on the Île Sainte-Marguerite off Cannes; the helicopter rides from Cap Ferrat for nights out at Les Caves du Roy in Saint-Tropez; and supercar chases along the three stacked corniche roads that twist between Nice and Monaco.

​White has already shown that he’s quite partial to a scene or two on a superyacht, too.

​All this, juxtaposed against the insane colors and charm of villages like mine, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and nearby Eze-sur-Mer, perched precariously on a cliff above the Mediterranean. These sun-drenched spots, whose light has inspired artists for generations, would no doubt shine even more brightly under White’s cinematic touch.

​Wherever in France the next season lands (if it does at all), the speculation is half the fun. Online forums like Reddit are already casting dream roles—Eva Green or Audrey Tautou as the hotel manager, Vincent Cassel as the brooding gangster boyfriend.

Personally, my top choice would be Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, who steals every scene as Sylvie in Emily in Paris. She’s already stayed at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, too … the Emily in Paris cast and crew took over the hotel during the COVID-19 pandemic to film scenes from their jaunt south in season 2.

Here’s hoping a new film crew shuts it down next summer—and give those of us who live here a season to remember.